Chapter 2: Martial Soul's Second Awakening!
Pitch-black mist spread out from Luo Ling's body. His eyes glowed crimson, like those of a ferocious demon crawling out of hell.
"What… what are you?" Zhang Lang was dumbfounded by the sight before him. He was just a Grand Soul Master—he had never seen anything like this before.
Luo Ling stared fixedly at the assistant before him. The murderous intent in his heart surged to its peak. He raised his hand, and it was as if countless dark threads extended from his fingers into the depths of the darkness.
Not far away, the scarecrow was also shrouded in black mist. Its form underwent an earth-shaking transformation.
The yellow straw covering its body turned into pitch-black feathers. The scarecrow's entire form seemed to merge with the shadows, becoming ethereal. From within the darkness, faint cawing echoed.
Luo Ling waved his hand. The next moment, the scarecrow turned into a streak of black shadow, instantly appearing behind Zhang Lang. Then—
Squelch!
A sinister sound rang out. A monstrous claw burst through Zhang Lang's chest, dragging out foul fragments of organs and blood.
Zhang Lang couldn't comprehend what had just happened. He turned his head stiffly.
Behind him, a dark phantom smiled coldly—Luo Ling's ghostly face glowing faintly within the shadows.
…
A full moon hung high above the sky.
A tall figure stood under the moonlight, silver hair cascading down his shoulders, his handsome face otherworldly and divine.
Luo Ling stood before a small pool of water, looking at his reflection with an odd expression.
At his feet lay Zhang Lang's corpse, now completely desiccated.
The scarecrow had mutated—it had drained Zhang Lang's life force and soul power, healing the wound on Luo Ling's chest in the process.
"Did my martial soul undergo a second awakening?" Luo Ling touched his near-perfect face, eyes widening slightly in surprise.
Moments ago, he thought he was doomed to die, yet fate had taken a shocking turn.
A second awakening!
This was something one could rarely hope for. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had awakened again thanks to the Blue Silver King, but Luo Ling had nothing like that!
Staring at his reflection—handsome beyond imagination—Luo Ling couldn't help but feel pleased.
The second awakening had brought him immense benefits. His appearance change was merely one aspect. The greater boon lay in his transformed martial soul.
He turned toward the nearby black shadow. The former scarecrow had completely changed—it had become a dark phantom.
Its vague, shifting face resembled Luo Ling's, and several crows perched on its shoulders.
But that wasn't all.
Frowning, Luo Ling concentrated. The next instant, the black phantom merged into his body.
He could clearly feel his strength becoming even greater!
Martial Soul Possession?!
Luo Ling was startled—but soon he noticed something different.
This wasn't Martial Soul Possession. The mutated scarecrow had merged with something within his body.
There was another power inside him!
Luo Ling closed his eyes, then opened them moments later.
The mutated scarecrow withdrew from his body. As he thought back to the moment he killed Zhang Lang, his eyes turned blood-red.
"Is this a twin martial soul? No—that's not right. My soul power seems to have reached a bottleneck!"
He frowned, recalling a concept from the original story and realizing a possibility.
A symbiotic martial soul!
As the name suggested, it meant two martial souls born together that shared the soul rings. But Luo Ling's case was different.
He could clearly feel his soul power locked. To break through, he would need to attach a soul ring to this second martial soul. It wasn't a matter of sharing rings but of progression being sealed.
Sighing, he withdrew the mutated scarecrow back into his body.
At that moment, he truly understood the meaning of "knowledge is power." His disgust toward Yu Xiaogang deepened—Yu Xiaogang had stolen research from the Spirit Hall and passed it off as his own!
Thinking of that hypocrite, Luo Ling's handsome face twisted into something sinister.
Since he was still alive, Yu Xiaogang—was he ready to face terror?
…
Notting Academy, Teacher's Office.
Yu Xiaogang paced nervously in front of the door, glancing outside from time to time as if waiting for someone.
On a nearby tree branch, a black crow with scarlet eyes stared coldly at him.
Hidden in a bush not far from the tree, Luo Ling observed everything through the crow's eyes.
This was one of the new abilities gained from his scarecrow's second awakening. With dark energy, he could conjure crows from shadow and use them as his eyes and ears.
On his way to Yu Xiaogang's office, Luo Ling had already learned much about his new "Scarecrow" martial soul.
The new "Scarecrow" was entirely condensed from dark energy. It could turn shadow into crows.
More than that, its first soul skill had changed—it could now manipulate dark threads: Dark Weave.
Like a puppeteer, Luo Ling could command his scarecrow using those threads, forming various constructs to control or bind enemies. The dark threads could even drain life force and soul power.
But that wasn't all—it had one more terrifying ability.
Luo Ling withdrew his focus from the crow's vision and looked down.
At his feet lay Zhang Lang's corpse. Suddenly, the darkness around it rippled.
From within Luo Ling's body, the new "Scarecrow" emerged and slowly took the form of Zhang Lang.
Phantom Mimicry.
That was its final ability.
He could transform the scarecrow into anything—or anyone—he imagined.
Perfectly lifelike, only without a soul. A puppet.
"From now on, you're no longer a scarecrow. You'll be my Raven Shadow Puppet." Luo Ling smiled faintly at the figure that looked exactly like Zhang Lang.
…
"Why did you take so long?"
Inside the office, Yu Xiaogang let out a sigh of relief when he saw "Zhang Lang" enter.
He had sent Zhang Lang to kill Luo Ling. Though the agreed time had long passed, at least the man had returned.
"Master, to be safe, I led that brat to the back mountain. That's why I'm late." "Zhang Lang" replied obsequiously.
"You're sure he's dead?" Yu Xiaogang asked nervously.
"Of course! What can an eleven-level waste of a soul master do?"
"Good. Your reward will be given as promised." Yu Xiaogang nodded and took out a small package from a drawer.
"Fifty gold soul coins, all here."
"Zhang Lang's" eyes flickered, but he quickly forced a smile and eagerly accepted the bundle. "Thank you, Master!"
"You've earned it." Yu Xiaogang waved dismissively, regaining his superior demeanor. "Remember—no one must know what happened today. Otherwise…"
"Don't worry, Master! Not a soul will hear about it!" "Zhang Lang" patted his chest confidently.
Yu Xiaogang said nothing more, turning around and relaxing. He trusted Zhang Lang wouldn't dare to speak.
After all, an assistant without power or influence could easily be silenced if needed.
Between a renowned Grandmaster of Martial Soul Theory and a mere assistant, whose words would people believe? The answer was obvious.
But just as Yu Xiaogang's guard dropped and he turned his back—
Behind him, "Zhang Lang" quietly raised his hand.
His right hand transformed into a sharp claw and slammed brutally into Yu Xiaogang's neck.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10